Spaulding scores twice late in come-from-behind hockey win at Bedford

GOFFSTOWN - It took a while, almost too long, but in the end it all came together for the Spaulding High School of Rochester hockey team.

Justin Jewell scored two goals in the final 3:26 to lift the Red Raiders to a 4-3 come-from-behind win over Bedford in a battle of Division II heavyweights at Sullivan Arena on Tuesday.

"I think we started slow," said Spaulding coach Paul George, whose team hadn't been on the ice since Thursday. "I think the third period is more conducive to the style that we play. They played better as well, but it looked like they got a little winded."

Bedford took a 3-2 lead on a goal by Brian Collins with 5:28 left, then Spaulding raised its play to another level.

Jewell got the equalizer on a shot from the slot that beat Bedford goalie Stevan Tempesta (28 saves) glove side with 3:26 left and then netted the winner with 52 seconds left.

That one came off the rebound of a shot by Drew Pepin that was left right in front of the net. Jewell pounced on the puck and popped it in.

"It was a great shot by (Drew) Pepin from the point," Jewell said. "It kicked out and came right to me. It was an empty net."

It was one of three goals in the third for the Red Raiders, who recently rallied for a similar win over archrival Dover, another one of the elite teams in the league.

"We just kicked it into t new gear," Jewell said. "We just brought it to that next level."

The win gives the Red Raiders a record of 13-1-1 and the Bulldogs dropped to 9-3-1 with their second loss in a row.

Bedford never trailed until the final minute of the game. It got on the board first with a goal by Mike Dee at 3:46 of the second and then took a 2-0 lead when Jason Campbell beat Spaulding goalie Derek Scott (33 saves) with 7:12 left in the period.

Kyle Carignan got the Red Raiders on the board when he scored with 5:27 left in the second and the Bulldogs carried a 2-1 advantage into the final frame.

It could have been worse if not for a few timely saves by Scott late in the period. He robbed Bedford's Nate Boyd with a fantastic glove save with 1:45 left, and then made a couple of crucial stops in the final seconds after the Red Raiders failed to clear the puck.

Spaulding pulled even five minutes into the third period on a goal by Brian Chick that was set up by Brendan Colson.

Colson worked for the puck along the boards behind the net and won it. He centered a pass to Chick, who was cutting through the slot, and Chick buried the shot to make it 2-2 with 9:56 left to play.

The Bulldogs pulled ahead once again a few minutes later on the goal by Collins, who was trailing a rush by his teammates and flipped a backhander in for the score.

That was it for the Bedford offense. After that the Red Raiders took control and grinded out a couple of goals for the win.

"They didn't die. They didn't quit," Bedford coach Marty Myers said of Spaulding. "I thought we did a good job offensively putting the pressure on them. I thought we limited their opportunities, but the opportunities they had they certainly capitalized on."